Past
The Yodotai are a long way from home, and will get farther still before they are truly done. The Yodotai originate from lands far to the West of the Burning Sands and for over a millenium they have been on the war path, expanding outwards to bring the people of the continent under their rule and to bring the faith of their gods to those who have not yet converted. They call their war of conquest a Crusade, a war to bring all people under the onus of Conquest and his siblings.
The Yodotai have not been in the Burning Sands long, but already they have become tied to it. Their reunion with the Sheel just 70 years ago just outside of the Burning Sands brought the attention of the Empire east, to this new vast desert and the people who called it home. Even the Yodotai were awed by the size and majesty of Medinaat al-Salaam, but they knew that, like all things, one day it would fall to them.
That time table was advanced by the Warlord Aurelian when he discovered that many Hanif, descendants of the original Yodotai, had been captured and turned into slaves by the Senpet. The brash Aurelian was enraged by this and despite only having 500 Praetorian guard under his command, swore that he would make the Senpet pay for this affront. Finding the Moto who were eager for the plunder of the City as well as revenge against the Senpet, Aurelian allied himself with the raiding nomads and assaulted the city. During the siege, the Yodotai were confronted by a man whom the locals called Duqaq. He offered his assistance to the Erb’a Alliance, and was the driving force that freed the Hanif and Scorpion slaves in the Senpet mines. He brought the disparate groups together and his council led the Yodotai away from their plans to demolish the city.
When the walls were broken, the Yodotai were among the first to charge through the breach, crushing the local defenders they moved into the city, lead by Aurelian and his command staff as they marched inexorably to the Palace. The day was all but won when the bolt from heaven struck down and shattered the combined Yodotai and Moto forces. The defenders rallied at the sight and began pushing them back out. Aurelian and his command staff were seperated from their forces and surely would have died if Duqaq had not appeared to them and led them from the city. The defeat was a resounding lesson for Aurelian, one he would never forget as he turned his gaze north, to Senpet lands.
Present
Though still a man with an excessive temper, Aurelian had learned a great deal from his time at Medinaat al-salaam, and it shaped his approach to the Senpet. Mercenaries and Scouts swept the lands of the desert dwellers, learning everything that they could. Though many did not return, enough did, and within 8 years the Yodotai had all the information they needed. Aurelian attacked cautiously at first, and though his first battle was a crushing victory, he advanced slowly, watchful for traps and wary of the magic that the Senpet wielded. The Senpet recovered from the first blow and the war began in earnest, and Aurelian showed to many that he was one of the greatest Warlords that the Yodotai had ever seen since Octavian himself.
It turned into one of the longest wars of conquest, but eventually the Yodotai crushed the last of the Senpet resistance at the Battle of the Last Cataract. Aurelian by this point was so powerful that he was capable of summoning up Conquest and Octavian themselves to fight beside him. His Praetorian commander, Lucius, took command of the army that chased down the surviving Senpet army, as Aurelian lead his own forces to the Eye of the Desert. Within a week the Senpet had fallen and the Yodotai had become the premier power in the Burning Sands.
Within a few years, the elderly Aurelian passed away, leaving his son Decimus as head of the Yodotai and placing Galerion as the governor of Senpet lands. The death of Aurelian led to an outbreak of riots in occupied Senpet lands that the Yodotai legions had great difficulty with, and it became apparent that Decimus did not have the charisma or military prowess that his father had. The Praefectus Praetorio, Lucius Julius Antonius, took command of the situation quickly and saved the Empire from being forced out of Senpet lands, earning himself the title of Aegypticus in the process.
After the Battle of the Last Caravan, the fortunes of the Yodotai have been, by most regards, strange. Their relations with most outsiders have rarely been better, while discontent within the Empire has begun to grow. The decision of Decimus to end the Second Great Crusade met with mixed opinion across the Empire. Many believe that Decimus has betrayed a thousand years of faith and tradition, and look for a new leader. Some few believe that after a thousand years of Conquest, the Empire needs a period of peace to deal with the numerous problems that have come up over one thousand years, pointing out that there can always be a Third Great Crusade. Meanwhile at Medinaat al-Salaam, the Yodotai are enjoying being slightly more accepted within the city. Enjoying better relations among the Ebonites and the Ra’shari, as well as the fame that came from the large role they played in the battle and their new duties as City Guard and the news that the Great Crusade has come to a halt.
During the Jewel’s Civil War, matters for the Yodotai turned somewhat sour as the Senpet Rebellion within the city organized political resistance to the Yodotai and pushed the military arm of the Yodotai where they could not push back. A blatant flaw in the Yodotai position within the city that has now been exposed. As the Yodotai within Medinaat al-Salaam were considering how to deal with this new push, matters in Octavion were proving worse for the Legions. In a vote on land allocations for the most recent group of retirees from the army, the Senate voted in a landslide to limit the payments of pensions and allocation of land to veterans, angering swaths of recently retired or nearly retired Legionnaires from across the Empire who had depended upon that pension for retirement and are, in greater and greater numbers, bringing their complaints to their Emperor.
Future
The discontent within the Empire is growing more and more obvious at each passing month as the greatest empire in the world grapples with the idea of what it is to become when it is not in the midst of conquering. The more religious have turned to the tales of the other gods of the Yodotai such as Devotion or Justice. Others are turning to the Sheel or the Grekoi for advice and wisdom. The Patricians are already preparing for a new age however, and some whisper that soon the Empire will seek to establish a true diplomatic envoy with the Jewel of the Desert.
Leaders
Emperor
Decimus is likely the most powerful man in the entire world. The leader of the Yodotai commands hundreds of thousands of soldiers, lords over millions of citizens. When he first came to power, many expected him to be the equal of his father, who had been the greatest Warlord seen by the Yodotai since Octavius himself. Many were disabused of this notion when the new rash of revolts that swept through the Senpet lands after his father’s death were not immediately crushed. It took the Praetorian Prefect Lucius to smash the new revolt with the legions and the great question of what would come next for the Yodotai began to grow. Decimus has handled the stress of leadership admirably well, and time and time again he has shown that his delaying is not out of concern for himself, but concern for the Empire.
The news that he had chosen the title of Emperor had as good of results as could be expected. The majority of the senate was outraged, declaring the action to be a slap in the face of a thousand years of tradition. The younger Legionnaires were furious, angry that they had lost what they viewed as their chance to gain glory and honor in battle. But there were some in the Senate who have supported the motion, perhaps more importantly, the Veteran legions stood behind Decimus’ decision, supporting the Praetorian Legate and their chance to go home. Decimus himself had only heard stories of the glory of Octavion, now that he is in the city he finds himself uncomfortable. If anything the capital is too splendid for the tastes of a Warrior-King lion who has spent a millenia in the field. The throne does not sit him right, no more than his war council did. But here he is adapting, and showing that he has a head for governance, if city politics does not destroy him.
First Consul
Gnaeus Flavius Calidus is an ancient man who is well used to power. A native of Octavion, Gnaeus became a politician very early in life and worked his way up to the Octavion senate. The body that rules the Empire in absence of an Emperor. A shrewd and corrupt man, Gnaeus has carefully built alliances and blackmails meant to keep him in power for as long as possible. Bullying those who would challenge him into submission and destroying the reputations of those that are too recalcitrant. Gnaeus has served as a senator for more than 30 years now, and has served as Consul an unprecedented six times. It is an open secret that he has also played a large part in picking one, if not both, of the Consuls for the past fifteen years and some whisper in dark corners that he would call himself Emperor if doing so would not mean his death.
Decimus’ arrival in Octavion was met with inspiring fanfare and at least some hope for a new age. A show that proved to be little more than window dressing put up by Gnaeus as he deftly used his control of the Senate to very nearly lock the Emperor out of any actual ability to do any decision making, all while putting on fairs and meetings to keep the Emperor away from the man Gnaeus truly fears, Lucius. The two have been quietly at odds since the Emperor’s arrival and so far Gnaeus has used his superior positioning to keep himself at the top of the game. A new age is beginning indeed, and Gnaeus fully intends to be the man who leads the Yodotai into this new age, even if it is from the shadows.
Second Consul
Appia Porcia Campanus comes from a rather new line of senators. Those who won their right to citizenship through battle and moved to Octavion. She began her career the same way much of her family had. She joined the military when she was 17, at the tail end of the war with the Senpet. As with many nobles, became an officer within three years, and assisted in the suppression of the Senpet rebellion. She continued her military service up until the death of Aurelian, when she assisted in putting down the new revolts. Then Appia took a path that many did not expect. She retired from the military and joined the race to become a senator. Though this career path is fairly common among nobles of Octavion, she was the first of her family to do this. Her move somewhat stunned her family and she managed to win a seat in the Senate after a tough race.
Appia found that the Senate was a very different beast from the one she was used to. Her sword arm was not as needed now, and she was quickly discovering that alliances were far more temporary than she was used to. Still, she managed to weather the new experiences and made several more permanent allies. Winning re-election, Appia continued to run strong on a military ideology. Her methods and ideology caught the attention of Gnaeus, who convinced her to run for a consulship. She was rather certain she was going to lose the attempt. After all, she was still young and there were several members of the senate who did not like her. Thus it was rather a surprise to her when she won in a landslide. Taking up the consulship beside Gnaeus, Appia found that matters were very difficult as one of the most powerful people in the Empire. Still, she refuses to buckle under the pressure and works twice as hard to make up for her inability.
Praefectus Praetorian
Lucius Julius Antonius Aegypticus likes to say that he is the second most powerful man in the empire. A claim that both Consuls would argue. Still, Lucius commands the most elite military unit in the world and currently enjoys a great amount of popularity within the Empire for his actions during the defeat of the Senpet and his subsequent suppression of their revolt. Lucius joined the Praetorian guard during the Senpet-Yodotai war, a young noble out for glory and fame under the auspicious Warlord Aurelian. He played a crucial part in the future of the Empire when he personally defended Aurelian against an assassination attempt. He gained the friendship of Aurelian and jumped through the ranks of the Praetorian as he showed his own profound ability and his friendship with Aurelian grew stronger. Until he was eventually made Prefect. At the Battle of the Last Cataract, it was Lucius who led the crucial reinforcements to shatter the Senpet lines and he was given command of half the armies to continue chasing the Senpet armies and make certain the way is clear to the Senpet capital.
With the Senpet destroyed, and his friend growing more and more feeble, Lucius began the task of preparing Decimus to take the crown, as well as to set his own future in order. What he discovered was that Decimus was not the man that Aurelian was. He could not lead the Empire to victory as his father had, no matter how much he may want to. So Lucius began a plan. He taught the boy the early history, constantly comparing his father to Octavius, and told him of how Octavius’ own son was the first to take the title of Emperor. When Aurelian finally died and the Senpet revolted again, his suspicions were confirmed as Decimus failed to take action. Lucius took command of the legions and crushed the rebellion swiftly and without mercy, earning himself the title of Aegypticus in the process for his deeds.
Lucius’ return to Octavion has been about as difficult as he thought it would be. He knew Gnaeus would be there to confront and attempt to stop him, but Lucius soldiers on as he always has, he has been pushed further and further away from his Emperor though, thanks to the machinations of the Senate.
Legate of the Fifth Legion
Scipio Domitius Lepidus is the popular, charismatic, and some would say playboy, leader of the Fifth Legion. Born to a farmer in Sheel lands, Scipio lied about his age and joined the Legions at the age of 15. His training was completed just in time for him to join in the Battle of the Last Cataract. After surviving, Scipio raised through the ranks slowly of the Fifth Legion, and when the second wave of revolts swept through the Senpet lands, Scipio led his men and was noted for his rather moderate reaction and careful method. It was a rather controversial move on his part, and for several years it looked like his military career had come to a screeching halt. When the Fifth Legion was moved to Medinaat al-Salaam a few years later, forced to become more self-sufficient in potentially hostile territory, Scipio’s natural abilities as a leader had to be called upon.
Scipio’s friendly nature won him many friends within the legion, and his good relations with the locals made him the go to ambassador for most relations between the garrison and Medinaat al-Salaam. Scipio’s career started to move upwards once more and within eight years he had been raised to Tribune, second only to the Legate of the Legion himself. Then disaster struck. The commander of the Fifth Legion, Flavius, was assassinated by a group of Senpet rebels that had snuck unto the base. Scipio himself was attacked as well, and managed to beat back his assailant long enough for assistance to arrive. After that, he organized the defenses and hunted down many of the assassins before they could flee into the night. With the Legate dead, Scipio was given a battlefield promotion to Legate, a promotion that the Imperator seemed to agree with as he simply sent orders recognizing Scipio as the Legate of the Fifth Legion. Since then, Scipio has fought hard to dispel the fear that people view the Yodotai with, an effort that has met with only mixed success.
Scipio’s greatest success most recently has been at the Battle of the Last Caravan, where he led his Legion into battle alongside the Ebonites for the first time, and the Ra’shari for the second. Of course, it was at that battle that Scipio was horribly injured by one of Kali-Ma’s monstrous beast men. His recovery was long and arduous, even with some assistance from the noted healers of the Ra’shari. Though he has finally recovered, the charismatic leader of the local Yodotai still walks with a limp that he will likely have for the rest of his days.
Governor of Senpet Lands
Galerius is perhaps the most hated man in occupied Senpet lands. Galerius was once a native of Senpet lands named Phresex, but he defected and joined the Yodotai cause before even the Shattering of the Jewel. Galerius was one of the first willing converts to the Yodotai doctrine and gave away many Senpet secrets to the Yodotai. Once a man of faith, Galerius gave up the ten thousand and served as a close council of Aurelian on political affairs in the Burning Sands. He was one of the few that cautioned patience when the Hanif slaves were discovered, and became a devout follower of Duqaq when he made his appearance. Enough so that some quietly question his devotion to the Yodotai gods.
When the war against the Senpet began, Galerius was one of the few who attempted to end the matter peaceably, through the negotiation of the Senpet surrender. But his attempts were rebuffed by both sides and it was only his personal guard that saved him from a Senpet attack while he was leaving the negotiations. Galerius became a central figure in the war as he continued to advise Aurelian’s strategies and do his best to ease the transition from the traditional Senpet religion to that of the Yodotai. Eventually though, when the Senpet fell, he was forced to take a more active roll in the crushing of the revolts after he was named as the governor of Senpet lands. Once the area finally settled down some into acceptance of Yodotai rule, his greatest concerns have been rebuilding the once powerful Senpet economy and putting out the small fires of rebellion that occasionally start up. Galerius is becoming an ancient man however, and has begun looking for someone to replace him.
History
PastThe Yodotai are a long way from home, and will get farther still before they are truly done. The Yodotai originate from lands far to the West of the Burning Sands and for over a millenium they have been on the war path, expanding outwards to bring the people of the continent under their rule and to bring the faith of their gods to those who have not yet converted. They call their war of conquest a Crusade, a war to bring all people under the onus of Conquest and his siblings.
The Yodotai have not been in the Burning Sands long, but already they have become tied to it. Their reunion with the Sheel just 70 years ago just outside of the Burning Sands brought the attention of the Empire east, to this new vast desert and the people who called it home. Even the Yodotai were awed by the size and majesty of Medinaat al-Salaam, but they knew that, like all things, one day it would fall to them.
That time table was advanced by the Warlord Aurelian when he discovered that many Hanif, descendants of the original Yodotai, had been captured and turned into slaves by the Senpet. The brash Aurelian was enraged by this and despite only having 500 Praetorian guard under his command, swore that he would make the Senpet pay for this affront. Finding the Moto who were eager for the plunder of the City as well as revenge against the Senpet, Aurelian allied himself with the raiding nomads and assaulted the city. During the siege, the Yodotai were confronted by a man whom the locals called Duqaq. He offered his assistance to the Erb’a Alliance, and was the driving force that freed the Hanif and Scorpion slaves in the Senpet mines. He brought the disparate groups together and his council led the Yodotai away from their plans to demolish the city.
When the walls were broken, the Yodotai were among the first to charge through the breach, crushing the local defenders they moved into the city, lead by Aurelian and his command staff as they marched inexorably to the Palace. The day was all but won when the bolt from heaven struck down and shattered the combined Yodotai and Moto forces. The defenders rallied at the sight and began pushing them back out. Aurelian and his command staff were seperated from their forces and surely would have died if Duqaq had not appeared to them and led them from the city. The defeat was a resounding lesson for Aurelian, one he would never forget as he turned his gaze north, to Senpet lands.
Present
Though still a man with an excessive temper, Aurelian had learned a great deal from his time at Medinaat al-salaam, and it shaped his approach to the Senpet. Mercenaries and Scouts swept the lands of the desert dwellers, learning everything that they could. Though many did not return, enough did, and within 8 years the Yodotai had all the information they needed. Aurelian attacked cautiously at first, and though his first battle was a crushing victory, he advanced slowly, watchful for traps and wary of the magic that the Senpet wielded. The Senpet recovered from the first blow and the war began in earnest, and Aurelian showed to many that he was one of the greatest Warlords that the Yodotai had ever seen since Octavian himself.
It turned into one of the longest wars of conquest, but eventually the Yodotai crushed the last of the Senpet resistance at the Battle of the Last Cataract. Aurelian by this point was so powerful that he was capable of summoning up Conquest and Octavian themselves to fight beside him. His Praetorian commander, Lucius, took command of the army that chased down the surviving Senpet army, as Aurelian lead his own forces to the Eye of the Desert. Within a week the Senpet had fallen and the Yodotai had become the premier power in the Burning Sands.
Within a few years, the elderly Aurelian passed away, leaving his son Decimus as head of the Yodotai and placing Galerion as the governor of Senpet lands. The death of Aurelian led to an outbreak of riots in occupied Senpet lands that the Yodotai legions had great difficulty with, and it became apparent that Decimus did not have the charisma or military prowess that his father had. The Praefectus Praetorio, Lucius Julius Antonius, took command of the situation quickly and saved the Empire from being forced out of Senpet lands, earning himself the title of Aegypticus in the process.
After the Battle of the Last Caravan, the fortunes of the Yodotai have been, by most regards, strange. Their relations with most outsiders have rarely been better, while discontent within the Empire has begun to grow. The decision of Decimus to end the Second Great Crusade met with mixed opinion across the Empire. Many believe that Decimus has betrayed a thousand years of faith and tradition, and look for a new leader. Some few believe that after a thousand years of Conquest, the Empire needs a period of peace to deal with the numerous problems that have come up over one thousand years, pointing out that there can always be a Third Great Crusade. Meanwhile at Medinaat al-Salaam, the Yodotai are enjoying being slightly more accepted within the city. Enjoying better relations among the Ebonites and the Ra’shari, as well as the fame that came from the large role they played in the battle and their new duties as City Guard and the news that the Great Crusade has come to a halt.
During the Jewel’s Civil War, matters for the Yodotai turned somewhat sour as the Senpet Rebellion within the city organized political resistance to the Yodotai and pushed the military arm of the Yodotai where they could not push back. A blatant flaw in the Yodotai position within the city that has now been exposed. As the Yodotai within Medinaat al-Salaam were considering how to deal with this new push, matters in Octavion were proving worse for the Legions. In a vote on land allocations for the most recent group of retirees from the army, the Senate voted in a landslide to limit the payments of pensions and allocation of land to veterans, angering swaths of recently retired or nearly retired Legionnaires from across the Empire who had depended upon that pension for retirement and are, in greater and greater numbers, bringing their complaints to their Emperor.
Future
The discontent within the Empire is growing more and more obvious at each passing month as the greatest empire in the world grapples with the idea of what it is to become when it is not in the midst of conquering. The more religious have turned to the tales of the other gods of the Yodotai such as Devotion or Justice. Others are turning to the Sheel or the Grekoi for advice and wisdom. The Patricians are already preparing for a new age however, and some whisper that soon the Empire will seek to establish a true diplomatic envoy with the Jewel of the Desert.
Leaders
EmperorDecimus is likely the most powerful man in the entire world. The leader of the Yodotai commands hundreds of thousands of soldiers, lords over millions of citizens. When he first came to power, many expected him to be the equal of his father, who had been the greatest Warlord seen by the Yodotai since Octavius himself. Many were disabused of this notion when the new rash of revolts that swept through the Senpet lands after his father’s death were not immediately crushed. It took the Praetorian Prefect Lucius to smash the new revolt with the legions and the great question of what would come next for the Yodotai began to grow. Decimus has handled the stress of leadership admirably well, and time and time again he has shown that his delaying is not out of concern for himself, but concern for the Empire.
The news that he had chosen the title of Emperor had as good of results as could be expected. The majority of the senate was outraged, declaring the action to be a slap in the face of a thousand years of tradition. The younger Legionnaires were furious, angry that they had lost what they viewed as their chance to gain glory and honor in battle. But there were some in the Senate who have supported the motion, perhaps more importantly, the Veteran legions stood behind Decimus’ decision, supporting the Praetorian Legate and their chance to go home. Decimus himself had only heard stories of the glory of Octavion, now that he is in the city he finds himself uncomfortable. If anything the capital is too splendid for the tastes of a Warrior-King lion who has spent a millenia in the field. The throne does not sit him right, no more than his war council did. But here he is adapting, and showing that he has a head for governance, if city politics does not destroy him.
First Consul
Gnaeus Flavius Calidus is an ancient man who is well used to power. A native of Octavion, Gnaeus became a politician very early in life and worked his way up to the Octavion senate. The body that rules the Empire in absence of an Emperor. A shrewd and corrupt man, Gnaeus has carefully built alliances and blackmails meant to keep him in power for as long as possible. Bullying those who would challenge him into submission and destroying the reputations of those that are too recalcitrant. Gnaeus has served as a senator for more than 30 years now, and has served as Consul an unprecedented six times. It is an open secret that he has also played a large part in picking one, if not both, of the Consuls for the past fifteen years and some whisper in dark corners that he would call himself Emperor if doing so would not mean his death.
Decimus’ arrival in Octavion was met with inspiring fanfare and at least some hope for a new age. A show that proved to be little more than window dressing put up by Gnaeus as he deftly used his control of the Senate to very nearly lock the Emperor out of any actual ability to do any decision making, all while putting on fairs and meetings to keep the Emperor away from the man Gnaeus truly fears, Lucius. The two have been quietly at odds since the Emperor’s arrival and so far Gnaeus has used his superior positioning to keep himself at the top of the game. A new age is beginning indeed, and Gnaeus fully intends to be the man who leads the Yodotai into this new age, even if it is from the shadows.
Second Consul
Appia Porcia Campanus comes from a rather new line of senators. Those who won their right to citizenship through battle and moved to Octavion. She began her career the same way much of her family had. She joined the military when she was 17, at the tail end of the war with the Senpet. As with many nobles, became an officer within three years, and assisted in the suppression of the Senpet rebellion. She continued her military service up until the death of Aurelian, when she assisted in putting down the new revolts. Then Appia took a path that many did not expect. She retired from the military and joined the race to become a senator. Though this career path is fairly common among nobles of Octavion, she was the first of her family to do this. Her move somewhat stunned her family and she managed to win a seat in the Senate after a tough race.
Appia found that the Senate was a very different beast from the one she was used to. Her sword arm was not as needed now, and she was quickly discovering that alliances were far more temporary than she was used to. Still, she managed to weather the new experiences and made several more permanent allies. Winning re-election, Appia continued to run strong on a military ideology. Her methods and ideology caught the attention of Gnaeus, who convinced her to run for a consulship. She was rather certain she was going to lose the attempt. After all, she was still young and there were several members of the senate who did not like her. Thus it was rather a surprise to her when she won in a landslide. Taking up the consulship beside Gnaeus, Appia found that matters were very difficult as one of the most powerful people in the Empire. Still, she refuses to buckle under the pressure and works twice as hard to make up for her inability.
Praefectus Praetorian
Lucius Julius Antonius Aegypticus likes to say that he is the second most powerful man in the empire. A claim that both Consuls would argue. Still, Lucius commands the most elite military unit in the world and currently enjoys a great amount of popularity within the Empire for his actions during the defeat of the Senpet and his subsequent suppression of their revolt. Lucius joined the Praetorian guard during the Senpet-Yodotai war, a young noble out for glory and fame under the auspicious Warlord Aurelian. He played a crucial part in the future of the Empire when he personally defended Aurelian against an assassination attempt. He gained the friendship of Aurelian and jumped through the ranks of the Praetorian as he showed his own profound ability and his friendship with Aurelian grew stronger. Until he was eventually made Prefect. At the Battle of the Last Cataract, it was Lucius who led the crucial reinforcements to shatter the Senpet lines and he was given command of half the armies to continue chasing the Senpet armies and make certain the way is clear to the Senpet capital.
With the Senpet destroyed, and his friend growing more and more feeble, Lucius began the task of preparing Decimus to take the crown, as well as to set his own future in order. What he discovered was that Decimus was not the man that Aurelian was. He could not lead the Empire to victory as his father had, no matter how much he may want to. So Lucius began a plan. He taught the boy the early history, constantly comparing his father to Octavius, and told him of how Octavius’ own son was the first to take the title of Emperor. When Aurelian finally died and the Senpet revolted again, his suspicions were confirmed as Decimus failed to take action. Lucius took command of the legions and crushed the rebellion swiftly and without mercy, earning himself the title of Aegypticus in the process for his deeds.
Lucius’ return to Octavion has been about as difficult as he thought it would be. He knew Gnaeus would be there to confront and attempt to stop him, but Lucius soldiers on as he always has, he has been pushed further and further away from his Emperor though, thanks to the machinations of the Senate.
Legate of the Fifth Legion
Scipio Domitius Lepidus is the popular, charismatic, and some would say playboy, leader of the Fifth Legion. Born to a farmer in Sheel lands, Scipio lied about his age and joined the Legions at the age of 15. His training was completed just in time for him to join in the Battle of the Last Cataract. After surviving, Scipio raised through the ranks slowly of the Fifth Legion, and when the second wave of revolts swept through the Senpet lands, Scipio led his men and was noted for his rather moderate reaction and careful method. It was a rather controversial move on his part, and for several years it looked like his military career had come to a screeching halt. When the Fifth Legion was moved to Medinaat al-Salaam a few years later, forced to become more self-sufficient in potentially hostile territory, Scipio’s natural abilities as a leader had to be called upon.
Scipio’s friendly nature won him many friends within the legion, and his good relations with the locals made him the go to ambassador for most relations between the garrison and Medinaat al-Salaam. Scipio’s career started to move upwards once more and within eight years he had been raised to Tribune, second only to the Legate of the Legion himself. Then disaster struck. The commander of the Fifth Legion, Flavius, was assassinated by a group of Senpet rebels that had snuck unto the base. Scipio himself was attacked as well, and managed to beat back his assailant long enough for assistance to arrive. After that, he organized the defenses and hunted down many of the assassins before they could flee into the night. With the Legate dead, Scipio was given a battlefield promotion to Legate, a promotion that the Imperator seemed to agree with as he simply sent orders recognizing Scipio as the Legate of the Fifth Legion. Since then, Scipio has fought hard to dispel the fear that people view the Yodotai with, an effort that has met with only mixed success.
Scipio’s greatest success most recently has been at the Battle of the Last Caravan, where he led his Legion into battle alongside the Ebonites for the first time, and the Ra’shari for the second. Of course, it was at that battle that Scipio was horribly injured by one of Kali-Ma’s monstrous beast men. His recovery was long and arduous, even with some assistance from the noted healers of the Ra’shari. Though he has finally recovered, the charismatic leader of the local Yodotai still walks with a limp that he will likely have for the rest of his days.
Governor of Senpet Lands
Galerius is perhaps the most hated man in occupied Senpet lands. Galerius was once a native of Senpet lands named Phresex, but he defected and joined the Yodotai cause before even the Shattering of the Jewel. Galerius was one of the first willing converts to the Yodotai doctrine and gave away many Senpet secrets to the Yodotai. Once a man of faith, Galerius gave up the ten thousand and served as a close council of Aurelian on political affairs in the Burning Sands. He was one of the few that cautioned patience when the Hanif slaves were discovered, and became a devout follower of Duqaq when he made his appearance. Enough so that some quietly question his devotion to the Yodotai gods.
When the war against the Senpet began, Galerius was one of the few who attempted to end the matter peaceably, through the negotiation of the Senpet surrender. But his attempts were rebuffed by both sides and it was only his personal guard that saved him from a Senpet attack while he was leaving the negotiations. Galerius became a central figure in the war as he continued to advise Aurelian’s strategies and do his best to ease the transition from the traditional Senpet religion to that of the Yodotai. Eventually though, when the Senpet fell, he was forced to take a more active roll in the crushing of the revolts after he was named as the governor of Senpet lands. Once the area finally settled down some into acceptance of Yodotai rule, his greatest concerns have been rebuilding the once powerful Senpet economy and putting out the small fires of rebellion that occasionally start up. Galerius is becoming an ancient man however, and has begun looking for someone to replace him.